Explosion
by adromir
Summary: Steve gets caught in a blast downtown. It later leads to Kate finding out more about his personal background.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: Steve gets caught in a blast downtown. It later leads to Kate finding out more about his personal background.**

**A/N: My God. Still no 'Cockrotoa'. So sorry, guys. This particular LOD story takes place after Season 5. Enjoy.**

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

"Do you think Wallace is being completely honest with us?" DS Steve Arnott was asking DI Kate Fleming as they emerged from an office building into the streets.

The two AC-12 officers had just finished interviewing Harold Wallace, the elder brother to DS Eric Wallace who had been suspected of destroying some incriminating evidence relating to the murder of a drug pusher in Derby. At present, DS Eric Wallace had gone into hiding and he was nowhere to be found.

Fishing her car keys out of her purse, she replied, "I believe so. Why do you ask?"

Steve gave the entrance to Harold Wallace's office a last look before following Kate toward her car which was parked in front of a bookstore three doors down. He said, "From his body language, I'm sure he spoke the truth. But not the whole truth."

"You mean, he's hiding something?"

"He said he didn't know his brother's current whereabouts."

"Yeah. So?"

"I have a feeling he knows someone else who does."

Kate halted before turning to face her partner, her eyes narrowing. "And how did you come to _that_ conclusion? You are not keeping things from me again, are you?"

Frowning, Steve replied, "No, ma'am. Of course not."

"Because it wouldn't be the first time you treat me like mushroom."

"Jesus, Kate…" He rolled his eyes heavenward.

After a few heartbeat, she smirked. "God, you're so easy. Relax, mate. I was just pulling your leg. But, seriously, what makes you think that way?"

He sighed with a shake of his head. "Look, maybe it's nothing."

"Don't give me that. Just tell me what your gut instinct is telling you."

"I'm not hundred percent sure of this, but I think Harold Wallace is protecting someone."

"Of course, he is. His younger brother."

"No, it's someone else who is not in the picture. Not yet."

"And who would that be?"

Steve shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

After giving him another searching gaze, Kate turned to unlock her car door. "Alright. Let's head back to the office and dig more on the Wallace brothers' background. Something new might come up."

"Do you mind waiting in the car for a bit? I need to get myself some coffee," Steve said when he noticed his favorite coffeehouse outlet next to the bookstore.

Kate was incredulous. "Really, Steve? It's not even lunch time yet. Besides, you've had a large cup of coffee just two hours ago."

"That was then, this is now. I need another fix real badly," he said, already walking.

She called out, "While you're at it, get a tall latte for me!"

Grinning, he simply waved back at her in response. He then pulled open the door to the coffeehouse.

Muttering to herself about a certain caffeine junkie, Kate was about to get into the car when suddenly there was a deafening explosion. The force of the blast violently rocked her on her feet, almost knocking her over.

Her ears ringing, Kate quickly looked up. The glass door of the coffeehouse was now gone, leaving only a wide gap. She also noticed that every other thing made of glass within twenty meter radius was completely blown out. And then she heard the screaming from inside the coffeehouse.

"Oh my God. Steve…" Kate began to run, her face drained of all color. Before she could reach the coffeehouse however, she noticed a familiar figure lying unmoving in the street.

It was her partner. Apparently, the explosion had sent Steve flying high into the air before he landed on the ground, ten yards away from the coffeehouse entrance.

"Steve…Steve!"

Screaming his name, Kate rushed to kneel next to him. She was relieved when she found his pulse, but the feeling didn't last long. Steve was bleeding from the nose, not to mention various cuts on his cheeks from the flying glass. Blood was also dripping down one side of his face from a head wound. To add to her apprehension, she had not been able to revive him.

By that time, a crowd had quickly gathered around the blast site. Kate knew as the first responder on scene, she needed to take immediate charge. Wounded partner notwithstanding.

She urgently gestured for two young men to come over. "I'm DI Kate Fleming, and this injured guy here is my partner, DS Steve Arnott. Do _not_ move him, just watch him for me. And please help staunch the bleeding."

Turning to another man, she asked, "You, sir. You have a phone?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded, taking out his mobile phone.

"Dial triple nine and tell the dispatcher about the explosion. And tell them that there are some people injured and probably several casualties. Do it now." She had a feeling that calls were already being placed to the emergency services by other onlookers, but she wanted to be sure that they were promptly contacted.

Reluctantly, she left Steve's side and ran towards the coffeehouse, yelling all the way at the curious bystanders, "Police officer, coming through! Kindly clear the area. Please, everyone, clear the area!"

Stepping inside, Kate was struck dumb for a moment by the sight of total destruction. The force of the explosion had ripped everything off the walls, though there was not much structural damage. What shook her the most was the sight of lifeless bodies littering the floor among the debris, some of them missing certain body parts. Blood was everywhere.

"First duty, preserve live…" Telling herself those words, Kate took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve and headed for a young woman lying in a corner behind the bar. Still in hysterics, the girl couldn't stop screaming.

"Miss, miss," Kate said, trying to calm her down. "It's alright. You're gonna be alright."

"Please…please help me…" the young woman cried, clutching at Kate's hand.

"I'm right here, miss. What's your name?"

"Cora," said the girl wearing the uniform of a barista.

"Okay, Cora. Where do you hurt the most?"

"I don't know…I can't..."

"Can you move?"

Sobbing, the girl nodded. "Yes…I think."

Praying for the EMT's quick arrival, Kate quickly checked the girl over. Cora's forehead was bleeding, while her right arm was broken. With luck, that would be the only extent of her injuries.

"You'll be fine, Cora," Kate told her, "Just stay where you are, alright? I'm sure the EMT is coming any minute now. They'll tend to you very soon. I need to look at other victims."

"Okay." Cora nodded, seeming a lot calmer than she was before.

"Brave girl," Kate praised her with an encouraging smile before turning towards a man lying in a pool of blood nearby. He was whimpering from pain, clutching at the wound in his left thigh.

"Sir? How are you doing?" Kate asked as she examined his wound. She quickly pressed the palm of her hand on top of the profusely bleeding site.

"I think I'm dying…" the man muttered, his eyes rolling upwards as he was about to lose consciousness.

"No! No, you're not." Kate pressed harder until the man groaned out loud. "Hang on, sir. The EMTs are coming. You will be just fine."

Hastily, she looked around for something to use as a tourniquet but couldn't find anything fitting enough. Continuing to apply firm pressure on the wound, Kate was so absorbed in the task at hand that she was caught by surprise when a familiar voice suddenly asked, "You need help?"

Kate gasped out loud. "Steve!"

"Hey, mate." Steve managed a pained smile. Staggering on unsteady feet with the blood still covering half his face, he looked like a dead man walking.

"What the…" Kate stuttered, shocked. "But, Steve…You…You're supposed to—"

"Lie in the middle of the street and pray that no car would hit me? No, thanks."

"You're badly hurt!"

"I'll live. You were gone when I woke up, and I got a couple of babysitters instead. I've given them the day off." He grimly gestured at the bodies around them. "I've checked and made a quick count. Six dead."

Kate closed her eyes and shook her head. "Jesus Christ…"

Grimacing, Steve got down to his knees next to her. "And what do we have here?"

"Bleeding from the femoral artery. It's quite bad."

Nodding, Steve swiftly took off his neck tie. Taking out a clean handkerchief from inside his suit jacket, he then pressed it directly on top of the wound before wrapping the tie twice over it to hold them firmly together.

"Okay, that would do it until real help arrives." Gently patting the man's cheek, Steve called, "Sir? Can you hear me?"

The man's eyes fluttered open, and he mumbled incoherently. Smiling at him, Kate squeezed the man's hand and said, "You need to stay awake, sir. Help is coming. Not long now."

Leaving his partner with the victim, Steve turned around and noticed the barista girl in the corner. "Miss, how are you doing?"

Cora was still terribly shaken, but she managed to respond, "I'll be fine."

Reaching over to squeeze her shoulder, Steve told her, "Hang in there. Help is not far."

"It was a bomb, wasn't it?" she asked him, trembling hard.

He hesitated. "Let's just leave it to the authorities to find out."

"Do you think there are more bombs around? Are we still in danger?"

Steve schooled his features so he wouldn't show her what he inwardly feared. "I'm sure we are fine."

"I knew something was wrong. I should have told someone sooner," Cora kept saying.

He frowned. "What do you mean, miss?"

"My name is Cora." Biting her lower lip, she added. "I saw that strange guy just sitting there about fifteen minutes ago."

"What guy, Cora?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him before. He sat alone drinking his coffee for almost an hour. And then he just left without his backpack."

Exchanging knowing looks with Kate, Steve turned back to the girl. "He left his backpack behind?"

Cora nodded. "It was on the table where he had been sitting. I tried to call out to tell him about it, but I was swamped with customers at the time. I thought he accidently left it and that he would come back for it later. But it was no accident, was it? He left it on purpose."

"How did the guy looks like?"

"I didn't see him clearly. In fact, he was wearing a hoodie."

"Was he white? Asian? Mixed race?"

Cora was close to tears. "I don't know, I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention."

Steve took a moment to ponder. And then he said, "That's alright, Cora. But you need to tell everything that you saw to the authorities. Can you do that?"

"But aren't you the authorities? You are a cop, right?"

He was surprised. "How did you know that?"

"You look like a cop, and you ask questions like a cop." Cora shrugged. "Besides, you're injured pretty badly yourself, yet you didn't hesitate to give aid to others. Only cops—or soldiers—do that."

"Smart girl," Steve said, smiling. "Yes, I'm a police officer. And so is that lady tending to that man over there. She's my boss."

Her eyes widened in awe. "A _lady_ boss? So cool."

"Um…not really," he jokingly added, and that caused Kate to roll her eyes in exasperation.

Turning serious once more, Steve told Cora, "We are actually from anti-corruption, a special unit within the Central Police, so we don't normally deal with this type of incident. But the appropriate authorities will arrive and you have to tell them the exact same thing you've just told me. It might be a bomb, or it might be a gas leak. We can't be sure what have caused the explosion just yet, so they will need all the right information to further investigate."

Cora nodded. "I understand."

As if answering all prayers, they finally heard the sounds of sirens fast approaching. Several police cars quickly appeared, followed by the ambulances. Soon afterwards, the place was crawling with uniformed policemen and paramedics.

While waiting for the actual SIO to arrive, Kate was still the most senior ranking officer and so she continued to take charge. After introducing herself and Steve, she said, "I don't want too many people in here to avoid evidence contamination. It's a probable crime scene and we shall treat it as such. Under my authority, paramedics are allowed to treat the wounded. The rest of you, control access and manage the crowd."

As the uniforms moved outside to do as she ordered, Kate stepped aside to let the paramedics tend to Cora and the injured man. Turning around, she found her partner staring intently at certain area of the room.

"Steve? What is it?"

Instead of answering his superior, Steve called out, "Cora, was this where you saw that strange man sit?"

Surrounded by two paramedics who were wrapping her broken arm in a sling, the barista girl looked up. "Uh…yes, he was. There had been a long table with tall stools next to the window."

"Okay, thank you." He nodded.

"Steve?" Kate asked him again. "Come on, mate. I know that look. What's on your mind?"

Frowning, he replied, "I'm no explosives expert, but I had enough training when I was in Counter Terrorism to know that, from those atypical marks on the floor and the ceiling, _this_ is the point of detonation."

"There's no source of gas whatsoever in that area."

"Certainly not."

"So it's really a bomb then?"

He fully turned to her. "I'm afraid so. My best guess is the explosives devices were filled into that backpack that Cora saw."

"Shit." Kate briefly closed her eyes. "This looks like a case for CTC."

"Indeed. They have jurisdictions."

"Well, nothing else we can do here. So let's go outside and leave the scene to them. When they arrive, we also need to give them our statements. I bet we'll have to deal with your old boss again."

"Osbourne?"

Steve was talking about CI Osbourne, a senior officer of CTC who had been his former commanding officer before he joined AC-12.

"Who else?" Kate took Steve by the elbow and led him out of the coffeehouse. "Firstly, however, you need medical treatment."

"But—"

"No arguments, mate. You're a victim too, as well as a witness. So I'm pulling rank here. I'm getting you to the paramedics to see to your injuries."

Sighing, he acquiesced, "Ma'am."

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Steve didn't get home until it was almost nine in the evening. By that time, he had already felt like he would drop dead from the pain and sheer exhaustion.

While Steve's wounds were being treated at the scene, he had sat in the back of the ambulance where a CTC officer took his statements. Kate had also given her statements to another CTC officer. Funnily enough, CI Osbourne never arrived, and CI Richard Barret had appeared in his stead.

Barret was a true blue cop, highly capable and totally professional. He was also quite a considerate man, for he had not hold the AC-12 officers at the explosion site longer than necessary. In fact, he had urged Steve to get himself a full check-up in the hospital.

After spending several hours at the A&E, the doctors finally declared that Steve was spared any broken bones or internal injuries except for a concussion, which had become a normal thing to him lately. Without Kate around, as she had returned to the office to report to the gaffer about the bomb explosion, there was no one to stop him when Steve insisted to leave the hospital that very night.

Unluckily for him—or maybe luckily, he wasn't sure which—Kate had come banging at his door soon afterwards. She was so mad she could spit nails.

"They told me you ran away from the hospital!"

"I didn't run away. I discharged myself AMA," he had responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"No, but I have a real fucking headache," he shot back. "Kindly leave me alone to suffer in peace. Ma'am."

"Peace, my arse." Dragging Steve back into his bedroom, she then pushed him into bed and pulled the covers over him. "Sleep now, you idiot."

"I will. Now go away."

"I'll be sleeping in the next room."

"You don't have to wait on me, Kate. I don't need a babysitter."

"What you need is a warden. Have you taken anything for the pain?"

He had mumbled something back incoherently. Kate took that as a yes and, assured that he would stay put in his bed, she had retired for the night in Steve's guest bedroom.

That was five hours ago.

And now, Steve was rudely awakened from his fitful sleep by a loud thumping noise coming from the other room, accompanied by harsh cries of surprise and anger.

Alarmed, he shot upright. "Kate!"

Jumping off the bed, he then grabbed the baseball bat from behind the door before he ran out of the room. He burst into the guest bedroom, ready to take a swing at anyone who dared to attack his partner, but he stood stock still when he realized what was really going on.

Kate was standing in the middle of the room, aiming her Glock at a tall hard looking man dressed in dark clothes. Steve wasn't even aware that she was fully armed when she had arrived at his flat.

Dropping the bat, Steve ran to stand between the gun and the tall dark stranger. "No, no, no, Kate! Don't shoot!"

"Steve, what the hell? Get out of the way!"

"Please, mate, lower your gun. You don't want to shoot him."

"I have no intention of shooting anyone, but he broke in through the window and jumped into my bed."

Shocked, Steve turned around to glare at the man behind him. "You did _what_?"

"Sorry. My bad. I didn't see her there, honest."

"Steve!" Kate shouted. "Who the bloody hell is he?"

Looking extremely sheepish, Steve replied, "He's my brother."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N: Stay tuned for the final chapter.**

"**When you're in a hole, stop digging." – DS Steve Arnott.**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**A&E - Accident & Emergency**

**CI - Chief Inspector**

**CTC - Counter Terrorism Command**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**DS - Detective Sergeant**

**EMT - Emergency Medical Technician**

**SIO - Senior Investigation Officer**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the finale, guys. Enjoy…or not. :)**

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

Dropping the baseball bat, Steve ran to stand between the gun and the tall dark stranger. "No, no, no, Kate! Don't shoot!"

"Steve, what the hell? Get out of the way!"

"Please, mate. Lower your gun. You don't want to shoot him."

"I have no intention of shooting anyone, but he broke in through the window and jumped into my bed."

Shocked, Steve turned around to glare at the man behind him. "You did _what_?"

"Sorry. My bad. I didn't see her there, honest."

"Steve!" Kate shouted. "Who the bloody hell is he?"

Looking extremely sheepish, Steve replied, "He's my brother."

Kate stared in bewilderment. "_What_?"

Sighing, Steve gestured at the tall man. "Kate, this is my elder brother, Major Shane Arnott."

Turning to his brother next, Steve said with a pointed look, "And she is DI Kate Fleming. My _boss_."

Shane broke into grins as he eyed her up and down. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. You fought well. For a girl."

That last bit caused Steve to slap himself in the forehead.

Taking no offense though, Kate lowered her gun. "Major? You're in the army?"

"Yes." Still smiling, Shane nodded. "Currently attached to MI-5."

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. His brother had just freely admitted to being a covert operative, which was so unlike him. He then recognized the admiring looks Shane was giving Kate. Steve's heart sank.

_Oh, hell no_…

"I found out from Steve's personal file that he has a brother," Kate was saying, "But he never mentions anything about you. I didn't even know your name."

"My job keeps me working undercover most of the time," Shane easily said, smiling wide until his dimples showed. "I owed it to my brother to be totally discreet. Hence, the lack of detailed disclosure in any records."

"I can understand that. I used to work undercover myself." Kate smiled back.

The two continued to chat some more. The entire while, Steve could only stare at them both in amazement.

_What the fuck is going on?_

Rubbing his forehead with a loud sigh, Steve abruptly announced, "It's still too early for all this shit. I'm getting myself some coffee."

Kate glared at him. "No, you can't, Steve. You have a concussion."

"Since when can't I drink coffee when I have a concussion?"

"Since I said so!" she snapped back. "Besides, coffee is the reason that you have concussions in the first place."

"You know what? I could use some coffee too," Shane interrupted, his smiles still perfectly in place.

Kate relented with a roll of her eyes. "Fine. I'll put the kettle on."

The two brothers watched as she deftly slipped her gun into the back of her pants and walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen. The moment she was out of hearing, Steve whacked hard at his brother's arm.

"_Really_?"

Shane rubbed at his smarting bicep. "What?"

"You're hitting on her," Steve hissed.

"Why not?"

"She's a married woman, Shane."

"That never stops me before," the elder Arnott easily responded. "What? Don't tell me you have a hot for her too."

"Of course, not! Kate is my best mate, my partner. I deeply care for her," Steve explained. "I love you too, big fella, so bear in mind that she's got a gun, and she knows how to use it."

"Hmm. Sexy.

"_Shane!_"

"Easy, little brother. I don't mean any disrespect, but I kinda like her."

"She's off limits, okay? She has a husband and a young son. And need I remind you again that she's my boss?"

"Alright, alright. I hear ya. Sheesh, Stevie. What got your panties in a twist?"

"I don't know, the concussion perhaps?" Steve rubbed his forehead again. The headaches were now soaring into a blinding migraine.

Shane instantly turned sober. He held his younger brother's face steady in both palms before staring into Steve's slightly dilated pupils. "How's your head, kid?"

"Still attached to my neck," was Steve's glib reply.

"Seriously, Stevie. You look like shit."

"At least I'm still the handsome one in the family."

"You think by growing a beard, you'll look prettier than me." Shane smirked. "You really should've stayed in the hospital. The concussion looks serious."

"I'll live," Steve said, slapping at his brother's hands. "By the way, why did you have to sneak in through the window? Can't you use the front door like a normal person?

"I'm not normal." Shane shrugged.

Giving his brother a searching look, Steve asked, "Are you currently on ops?"

"I am."

"Does it have anything to do with the explosion at the coffeehouse?"

Before Shane could answer, Kate called out from the kitchen, "Hey, Arnott! The coffee is ready!"

Shane jerked his head towards Kate's direction. "Let's join her and I'll explain what I can."

Minutes later, the three of them were sitting on stools at the kitchen counter. Both Kate and Shane held a mug of coffee each, while Steve—much to his utter disgust—was holding a glass of orange juice.

"No caffeine for you for the next twelve hours," Kate had told Steve when he had protested earlier.

"Kate, I'm really sorry about what just happened in the bedroom," Shane was now saying, "I didn't know Stevie has a guest tonight, or I would have used the front door."

"I'm not his guest. I'm his warden," Kate drolly replied. She then stared at Shane with narrowed eyes. "Is it a habit of yours to go sneaking into your brother's flat through a window in the middle of the night like a burglar?"

Shane replied, "Only when I am in the vicinity and need a place to crash where no one else can find me."

"Are you here on an assignment then?" she asked next. "Anything to do with the bomb explosion downtown?"

Impressed, Shane looked at both Kate and Steve. "Wow. You two sure think alike. That's right. I'm here on an assignment that relates to the explosion. It's a joint ops between MI-5 and the CTC."

"So what's the deal?" Steve wanted to know more. "Have you found out who's behind the bombing?"

"We have our suspicions, because this is not the first explosion of its kind. Yesterday was the third coffeehouse targeted. Previously, there were two coffeehouse bombings in West Midlands using the same MO with identical signature."

Steve and Kate exchanged dismayed looks. They had not expected it to be a series of bombings.

Turning back to his brother, Steve asked, "Is this the work of an individual or a terrorist group?"

"Sorry, little brother. Restricted intel. Need to know basis only."

"Fair enough." Steve nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed. He then started pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Steve, you're alright? What's wrong?" Kate grew concerned.

"Just these stupid headaches, that's all."

Wordlessly, Shane stood and went to open the top cabinet over the sink. After rummaging about for several moments, he took out a pill bottle. He shook out two white pills which he then slipped into his brother's hand. Steve swallowed them down without being told.

"Come on, kid," Shane said, draping an arm around Steve's shoulder. "Let's get you back to bed. You need to rest."

"I'm not a kid," Steve sharply protested, though he didn't shrug off his brother's arm.

"I'll return in a short while," Shane told Kate before he focused back on his brother, leading the younger man towards the bedroom. "You're not a kid anymore, Stevie, but you sure behave like one."

"Piss off!"

"Do you mind if I bunk with you tonight? I hate that ugly couch."

"Just don't hog the blankets. And if you snore, I'll kick you off the bed."

"With those short legs? You can try."

Kate couldn't hear Steve's response to that, but it may be a rude one because it caused Shane to laugh uproariously. Soon afterwards, the elder Arnott reappeared to take the stool across from her.

"Sorry about taking your bed," she told him, taking a sip of her coffee.

"It's fine," he replied, grinning. "When we were kids, Steve and I bunked together all the time, especially during thunderstorms. He's really scared of lightning. I'm the big bad brother who chases the lightning away."

"Good to know." She chuckled. "But you don't look much older than him."

"Actually I'm seven years older. By the time Steve was thirteen, I was already in military school." Shane suddenly turned serious, and he quietly said, "I'm worried about him."

"We all are," Kate said. "The concussion is quite troubling, no doubt. But Steve always bounces back on both feet in no time."

"I'm not just talking about the concussion," he said. "I've been worried about him for a while now, ever since his fall last year."

"Right. Likewise." Kate nodded. "Though looking at him now, you wouldn't know that he once spent weeks in a wheelchair."

"My little brother is a fighter, I give him that," Shane commented. "I was away overseas when Steve had that fall, or I would have stayed around to help him recover. But I was not overly worried then because he has you, Kate."

She smiled. "We're best mates. We look after each other."

"Of course." He hesitated before he said next, "When I heard that he was involved in the coffeehouse explosion, I got very concerned. But not for the reason you might think."

Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"

Pondering a bit, he continued, "Before I explain further, you need to know something about my brother. He's got brains. Very intelligent."

"I've noticed," Kate admitted.

"I mean, he is the genius in the family. He excelled his A-levels and he enrolled at the local university to learn medicine. He wanted to be a surgeon. It has been his ambition since he was a kid."

Kate was highly surprised. "Steve studied to be a doctor?"

"Yes."

"But…what happened?"

Shane's face was grim when he replied, "London bombings 2005 happened."

Kate's eyes widened as she understood. "Oh my God…Steve was there?"

Sighing, Shane nodded. "Steve was twenty at that time. It happened during his summer break. He got plans to meet some friends from the university. I can't remember what the occasion was. Must be someone's birthday or something.

"It was Thursday morning, during rush hour. He boarded a train at King's Cross, heading towards Paddington. Shortly afterwards, a bomb exploded in the second car of that train. Steve was in the fifth car, and he got hurt pretty badly. But you know how he is. He is not the type of person who would simply sit still and do nothing.

"I was later told that Steve helped pulled other victims to safety, one after the other. He also administered first aids to the wounded, but most of them died on him. Can you imagine, a first year medical student doing everything he could in a bloody aftermath when he was seriously injured himself? I can't bear thinking about it."

"Jesus Christ..." Kate covered her mouth with her fist, her face turning pale.

"It hit him hard. Real hard," Shane added. "My brother was distraught that he was unable to save lives as many as he wanted to. A few months later, he dropped out of medical school. He went to join London Metropolitan Police and had his training at Hendon. The rest is history."

For several moments, there was a painful silence until Kate softly said, "The London bombings was called 7/7 because it happened on July 7th, a dark day for the nation."

Shane grimly nodded. "It was."

"And my partner had been smacked deep in the middle of it. I had no idea…"

Shane reached over to squeeze her hand. "Look, Kate. I didn't tell you all this to make you sad. I just want you to understand my Stevie, why he is the way he is."

Managing a smile, she wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes. "I know Steve a lot better than you think, Shane. But I thank you for telling me more about him. It means a great deal."

He smiled back. "When a woman thanks me for making her cry, I'm sure my charm is working."

Kate chuckled. "Quite the rake, aren't you? You and your brother are so much alike."

"Exactly. We Arnotts are two peas in a pod," Shane quipped. He finished off his coffee before getting off the stool. "I better retire now. Have to start real early in the morning. Might as well get the most sleep I can get."

"Right. Again, thanks for the talk."

Shane paused at the door to Steve's bedroom, flashing her a dimpled smile. "You're very much welcome."

"And can you please stop flirting with me? I'm married."

"I can't help myself. You're a magnificent woman." With that, Shane disappeared inside, leaving Kate alone in the kitchen, blushing to the roots of her hair.

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

The next morning, Steve woke up to find himself alone in bed. He had briefly awakened when Shane came into the room to join him under the covers sometime during the night. In different circumstances, Steve would have gladly kicked his brother off the bed, but he had been too tired to make the effort.

After a quick visit to the bathroom, he walked out and headed towards the kitchen. Kate was sitting at the counter, eating some pancakes. She had showered and was fully attired for the office.

"Hey, mate," she greeted him.

"Hey," he grunted back. "What time is it?"

She glanced at her watch. "Half past nine."

"Aren't you already late for work?"

"Nah. I've told the gaffer I'll take the later shift. I want to make sure you're gonna be alright before I leave."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Headaches gone?"

He grimaced. "Headaches all gone, but I'm feeling sore all over. I must have flown real high from that blast."

"Yeah, like Superman."

He snorted and took a seat. "Can I have coffee now?"

"Not yet." Kate poured him a glass of orange juice before placing a stack of pancakes in front of him.

"You made this?"

"No, Shane did," Kate said, passing the bottle of maple syrup to him. "Right before he left around seven. Using the front door this time."

Steve smirked. "Crazy bugger. At least he's half normal."

Smiling sadly, Kate watched him eat. "Shane cares a lot about you."

"Of course, he does. He's my big brother."

"He didn't come here just for a place to crash. He wants to see for himself how you're doing after the explosion."

"I know."

"Steve." Kate hesitated before she softly said, "Shane told me about the London bombings."

Steve went still. He looked up at her, a little thrown off balance. "Right."

"It must be so awful for you that day."

Nodding, he resumed eating, "Indeed, it was. It happened years ago, Kate. Almost fifteen years now, but yesterday's event brought it all clearly back as if no time has passed."

"Why did you drop out of university? Shane told me you were studying to become a surgeon."

Sighing, he put down his fork. "I thought I wasn't good enough."

"Why would you ever think such a thing?"

"Kate, many people died around me that day. I felt so powerless." Steve paused for a moment, thinking on what he was about to say next.

"I was in a real dark place, doubting my worth. I wasn't even a doctor yet, and already I had thoughts of losing future patients. I didn't think I could continue to be a good doctor. It took me a long time to make peace with myself. That was when I decided to become a policeman. Instead of saving lives after something bad already happens, I want to help prevent it from happening. You understand what I mean?"

"Yes, I do." Kate nodded. She reached over to squeeze his hand. "I have nothing against doctors, but I'm glad you chose to become a policeman instead."

Steve smiled. "Thank you."

Rising, Kate went around the counter to give him a hug. "I nearly lost you yesterday, mate. I was so damned close to losing you."

"I'm still here, mate," he said, tightening his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

**THE END**

**So, should Major Shane Arnott continue to appear in future stories? Tell me what you think. **

**Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Later, guys. **

"**I had a wobble…No more wobbles." – DS Steve Arnott.**


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